The first work day at the General Assembly usually brings an early flurry of bills. Nearly 30 were filed by late Wednesday afternoon in the House and Senate. The bills include those that would:
— allow magistrates and workers under a county Register of Deeds to refuse to perform marriage duties because of strongly held religious objections. Chief sponsor: Sen. Phil Berger, R-Rockingham.
— invite Gov. Pat McCrory to deliver his State of the State address Feb. 4 at 7 p.m. Chief sponsor: Sen. Tom Apodaca, R-Henderson.
— restore the right to own a firearm to certain felons convicted of non-violent crimes before December 1995. Chief sponsor: Rep. Michael Speciale, R-Craven.
— eliminate the ability of state employees to have dues for employees' associations automatically deducted from paychecks. Chief sponsor: Sen. Ralph Hise, R-Mitchell.
— make statewide elections for Court of Appeals and Supreme Court partisan again. They have been officially nonpartisan since 2004. Chief sponsors: Reps Bert Jones, R-Rockingham; Frank Iler, R-Brunswick; Rayne Brown, R-Davidson; and Jonathan Jordan, R-Watauga.
— give more leeway to school districts to shift their instructional calendar to suit educational needs. Chief sponsor: Rep. Craig Horn, R-Union.
— initiate "crowd funding," a form of small-dollar investment in startup companies. Chief sponsors: Reps. Brian Brown, R-Pitt, and Rob Bryan, R-Mecklenburg.
— require well-child visits to pediatricians to require diabetes screenings until age 2. Chief sponsor: Rep. Charles Graham, D-Robeson.
— allow food stands to provide tables and chairs to customers. Chief sponsor: Sen. Jerry Tillman, R-Randolph.
— a handful of bills recommended by a legislative oversight committee on unemployment insurance, including changes to a benefits review board and requiring photo identification and more weekly job contacts to receive benefits. Chief sponsor: Rep. Julia Howard, R-Davie.
